Modifying RV Satellite Dish To Track Low-Earth-Orbit Satellites

In this video I'm creating a motorized satellite tracker for S-Band signals. S-Band includes NOAA weather satellites and the US Military's DMSP system (it's also the radio band for WiFi, which I might look at later).

Big thanks to PCBway for sponsoring this video! They offer a lot of useful services for makers, like custom printed circuit boards, 3D printing, laser engraving, and more! You can find them at https://www.pcbway.com/

I'm using a Winegard brand "Trav'ler" antenna designed for use on campers and recreational vehicles. It has a built-in three-axis motor system for pointing at TV satellites, but I wanted to use it for tracking satellites closer to earth. Since a low-orbit satellite like NOAA 18 or DMSP passes overhead in about 10 minutes, I need to move the dish faster and more precisely then it was intended for.

This project is still ongoing, and I don't yet have the code up on Github. When I do, it will be available at https://github.com/saveitforparts/ alongside the code for some similar antennas I've hacked in the past.

The serial cable I'm using is described here:
https://saveitforparts.wordpress.com/2023/12/29/another-portable-radio-telescope/

Thanks to @dereksgc for designing and sharing the helical antenna feed. You can find his designs at https://www.thingiverse.com/derekcz/designs

You can also find cdavidson's code for the Winegard G2 here: https://github.com/cdavidson0522/winegard-sky-scan/tree/main

And you can find the 3D printed helicone antenna from the prior video here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6436342 as well as another design here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6790144

Radio equipment I used for this project includes the Nooelec HackRF One: https://amzn.to/4040o4L
The RTL-SDR Wideband LNA: https://amzn.to/4j7Lt2b
And the RTL-SDR FM block: https://amzn.to/3BY3saA
(I get a small commission from these links, which helps out the channel!)



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